


Curiousity

by Truth



Category: Vampire Game
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-07-03
Updated: 2007-07-03
Packaged: 2017-10-14 06:41:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/146461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Truth/pseuds/Truth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was curiosity, more than anything else, that drove Ishtar to ask Duzell for this indulgence.  As for Duzell, his reasons for granting her request were no one's business but his own.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Curiousity

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [](http://community.livejournal.com/springkink/profile)[**springkink**](http://community.livejournal.com/springkink/)

"What's it like?" Ishtar was, technically, skipping class. She'd pleaded a sick headache - with appropriate dramatics - and was stretched out on her bed in a most unladylike fashion with the wad of cool cloths she'd been given balanced on the flat of one hand.

"That would depend on what you define as 'it'," Duzell told her, raising an eyebrow as he gathered a sheet around him. It had become habit to shed his customary furred and four-footed form when they were alone, if only because it made answering Ishtar's inevitable commentary that much easier to do.

She made a face at him. "Being _me_. Well, a male me." She shook her head. "This will never stop being weird."

Duzell growled at her, shoving impatiently at the long black hair as he gathered his sheet more closely to him. "I'm not _you_."

"And you hate looking like a teenaged girl, I know, I know." Ishtar flipped the end of the wet cloth at him. "I think it suits you much better than the fur."

"There weren't a lot of choices," Duzell snarled. He took a deep breath, realizing that he was being baited by an expert. “What’s it like?”

“Yes. I know what it’s like to be me… but as you just pointed out, you’re not me – but you spend a lot of time pretending, and you look good in my clothes!” She spoke over his outraged growl, moving right along. “What’s it like, Duzell? Tell me?”

He eyed at her narrowly, weighing the request. Ishtar, he was discovering, had a lot more going on beneath the surface than it seemed and it was always a good idea to find out what she was really up to.

“It’s… confining,” he decided finally, turning to look at the long mirror. When he moved to tuck long hair behind an ear, the gesture was hers and it gave him momentary pause. “There’s more freedom in being an animal.” He met her eyes in the mirror, noting her strangely intent expression. “But you knew that already.”

She nodded, still watching him. “What else?”

Duzell frowned at their mutual reflection. “It’s complicated.” Now that he was looking at his… at _her_ reflection, it became more complicated still. This wasn’t his face, for all that he wore it, and he even _sounded_ like her. “I hate it.”

It came out harshly and while he hadn’t intended the tone, he was in no way apologetic. His eyes met hers in the reflection as he repeated, “I _hate_ it.”

“So do I.” Ishtar met his look with one of amused resignation. “But I’ve tried running away and, really, I’m too old for that now.”

“Too old?”

Her lips curved upward in a faint, rueful smile. “Too experienced, maybe. I know it’s not really an option anymore, wishful thinking aside.”

“You mean you’ve finally examined the consequences,” he corrected her flatly. His attention was drawn back to the mirror and he found himself unwillingly comparing the two almost identical faces. He did not look at his own reflection often, in great part because this was _not_ his reflection, for all that it was the face he was using. He resented that more than anything else.

“Don’t sugar coat things for me,” Ishtar urged him, with a tone of heavy sarcasm. “You mean ‘the consequences to other people’.”

“I do.” He turned to look at her directly, glowering.

“You,” she accused, “are a fine person to be lecturing _me_ on the rights of other people. Which of us is the cruel, oppressive, genocidal, vampire tyrant again?”

“There’s a difference between deliberately crushing someone and allowing it to happen through sheer carelessness,” he told her, eyes glinting. “The second is sloppy and the first… is politics.”

“I thought it was lack of anything more interesting to do?” The calculating look was back and this time Ishtar didn’t bother to hide it. “I could learn a lot from you, you know. Not the sort of dry pointless learning that Yuujin keeps trying to stuff down my throat… stuff I can _use_.”

Duzell had known Ishtar long enough by now to feel distinctly uneasy whenever that particular look crossed her face. “For instance?”

“How to subjugate kingdoms and rule with an iron fist?”

“… I thought you hated the prospect of ruling?” Duzell gave her a skeptical look. “Besides, at the rate you’re going, you’ll be old and grey before you learn enough of Yuujin’s dry, pointless lessons to understand the advice I’d give.”

That wasn’t what she wanted to know and they were both aware of it, but Ishtar shrugged. “I understand _enough_ , otherwise I wouldn’t find Yuujin’s lectures so dull. At least he’s a few steps easier to deal with than Keld.”

Duzell shrugged, having to readjust his sheet with the movement. “Ishtar, where, exactly, are you going with this?”

“Orgies.”

There was a very long silence as Duzell stared at her, frozen. “… orgies?”

She nodded solemnly. “They say that the Vampire King’s court was a den of sin and debauchery. Logically, then….”

Duzell gave her a look that combined disbelief with scorn. “I never had _orgies_. You can’t - .” He stopped himself abruptly.

Ishtar gave him an evil little smile. “You can’t keep someone’s attention in a crowd, hmmm?”

Logically, Duzell should have had no moral qualms about telling Ishtar all about the various licentious and depraved practices he’d sought out to alleviate his unending boredom. This was the girl who’d volunteered just a day or two before, to take him to visit all her relatives so he could discover and slaughter the one who was his mortal enemy reborn.

On the other hand, it _bothered_ him to think of Ishtar and orgies in the same frame of reference, never mind the ‘why’ of it.

“This isn’t about the deviant sexual practices of the Vampire King,” he accused her, leaning forward and lowering his voice. “You’re – “

“So they _were_ deviant!” Ishtar was delighted by the revelation, clapping her hands together. “I knew it. You’re a font of useful information.”

“Ishtar,” he grated out, “I am not here to provide titillation.”

“You’re naked,” she pointed out, with inexorable logic. “Which still weirds me out. That’s my face on a male body.”

Duzell took a deep breath, recognizing her tactics, and sat down on the edge of the bed to consider this. “You’re curious about _sex_?” he finally asked, not at all certain where this had come from.

“Not so much _curious_ ,” Ishtar admitted cheerfully. “I mean, it’s kind of a hard subject to avoid learning about when you’ve done as much running away and hiding in places you’re not supposed to visit as I have.”

“Then _what_?”

Ishtar eyed him thoughtfully. “You’d want the people you have sex with to be good at it, right?”

“By that definition, people would only ever have sex with whores,” Duzell told her repressively. “If you mean ‘is sex more pleasant when everyone knows what they’re doing’ the answer is yes.” He made a face. “Among the least plausible rumors out there was the one where I’d seek out innocent young virgins and despoil them. There’s no one _less_ likely for me to….”

He stared at Ishtar as she flushed and attempted a nonchalant look up at the ceiling. With something like shock, he continued, “Ishtar, you are _not_ asking me to have sex with you.”

“Well, here’s the thing.” She still didn’t look at him, speaking slightly faster than usual as if afraid of interruption. “When you have sex with yourself, masturbation, it doesn’t count, right? I mean, you’re learning how your body works and what gives you pleasure and that doesn’t really work very well unless you’re planning to have a lot of sex with someone of the same gender and I just don’t see that in my future. Whereas, you’re me, well – close enough to count – and you’re a _male_ , so it still shouldn’t count, really, and….”

“You want to go to your wedding bed a virgin, by the barest of technical legalities, and still please your husband, while claiming you’ve never had sex.” Duzell wasn’t exactly sure how that was supposed to work. “I’m not _you_ , Ishtar, and having sex with me would insure that you weren’t any sort of virgin, technically or otherwise.”

“it’s not as if there’s more than one other virgin in the entire royal family, by my count.” Ishtar was still blushing, but she gave him a look of iron determination. “I’m not an idiot. I _know_ that. But… you’re a vampire. You’re Duzell, the Vampire King. I could claim, with perfect innocence, that I’ve only ever shared a bed with my adorable Duzie… and it would be the truth.”

“You intend to _lie_ to your future husband?” Not exactly the basis for a happy marriage, although Duzell wasn’t exactly qualified to comment.

“No.” Ishtar was still staring at him grimly. “But no one else needs to know.”

“Ishtar, I am not going to have sex with you.”

“Please?”

He stared at her. “ _Why_?”

She bit her lip. “I… hear the guards talking, sometimes. The men place a lot of importance on sex and how good it can be – and how bad. If I’m a virgin, and planning to _marry_ a virgin… there’s not going to be a lot of good sex at first.”

She didn’t have to mention the particular virgin. Duzell was well aware of Ishtar’s fierce attachment to her bodyguard. “Lots of people have awkward sex,” he told her flatly. “It’s not the end of the world.”

“… it would feel less like lying if it was you.”

He didn’t have an answer for that and settled for simply looking at her.

Ishtar was young and beautiful, there was no denying that… and Duzell was fond of her, in an oddly twisted way. She was very attractive, more than merely physically, but virgins had never been one of his interests and having sex with the young girl who was currently hiding him was a very bad idea from any direction.

She was in love with Darres, completely and totally… which also bothered him a bit because….

Ishtar completely derailed his train of thought by adding, “Besides, if you were such a depraved lecher in your last incarnation, I’m sure it will very enjoyable.”

Duzell ground his teeth and tried again. “Ishtar, we have… an agreeable relationship. Bringing sex into it would not be a good idea.”

“You never slept with any of your friends when you were Vampire King?” Ishtar demanded, eyebrows skyrocketing.

“The Vampire King didn’t _have_ friends,” Duzell informed her irritably. “I had minions and, yes, there was sex – but that was _all_ it was.”

“I bet _they_ didn’t think so.” Ishtar sighed and gave him a thoughtful look. “You’re going to give in eventually, Duzell. Don’t make me blackmail you into it. I’d feel that you didn’t find me appealing.”

“Sex _changes_ things,” Duzell warned her. “We tread a very thin line as it is. You don’t really want this, Ishtar.”

“Yes,” she told him flatly. “I really do.”

Their conversation was prevented from reaching a conclusion by a knock on the door, leaving Duzell a small bundle of fur and claws, all tangled up in a sheet and Ishtar with a heavy blush as Darres peered into the room.

“Are you all right?” he asked, glancing around. “I thought I heard voices.”

“I’m just… talking to myself.” Ishtar made an airy gesture and realized she was still holding the now warm-cloths for her headache in one hand. “You know how it is when you’re not feeling well.”

Darres gave her a suspicious look, almost the default expression when dealing with Ishtar, and nodded slowly. “All right, you ought to… _hey_!”

Duzell had taken the offered opening and bolted from the room. This was not a conversation he was looking forward to perusing without a bit more thought – something Ishtar seemed determined not to give. Selecting a hiding place beneath Sir Keld’s desk – almost the last place Ishtar would voluntarily venture in search of him, he settled down to think.

**

When Duzell was returned to Ishtar, transported by Yuujin, Ishtar’s tutor had a very firm grasp on the scruff of his neck. “You should keep a closer eye on your pet, Ishtar,” he advised her gently, releasing the kyawl as she held out her arms to take him. “He was found making a nest out of Sir Keld’s reports.”

Ishtar giggled, but managed to get a very firm grip on Duzell. “Thank you, Yuujin.”

“You’re very welcome.” Yuujin turned to depart, but Ishtar caught at his elbow.

“Wait….”

He paused, raising an eyebrow. “Is something the matter?”

Ishtar bit her lip. “Yuujin, if you were in love with someone… sex is a part of that, right?”

Yuujin’s other eyebrow went up, but he answered gently, “Yes, it is. You’re not contemplating having sex with someone, are you Ishtar?”

“Of course not,” Ishtar told him, meeting his eyes without a trace of flush. “I’m going to be the Queen of Pheliosta. Imagine the sort of trouble it would cause if I had an affair before I was actually married.”

Yuujin did not look at all convinced but, for once, did not offer a teasing comment. “Stay out of trouble, Ishtar,” he told her softly. “That’s a road you don’t want to tread.”

She rolled her eyes at him and he left.

“That was close. I always forget just how perceptive he can be and– hey!” Duzell had taken the opportunity to bite her and she dropped him onto the bed. “That wasn’t very nice.”

“I didn’t think you were looking for ‘nice’,” Duzell retorted, fading into his more human form. “In fact, I think you were fishing for ‘depraved’.”

“There’s nothing depraved about being bitten.” At Duzell’s sardonic look, she hesitated. “Not by a kyawl, anyway.”

“You really want to learn about sex?” Duzell had decided on a tactic and, if Ishtar was imagining sweetness and romance and roses, he was going to have to disabuse her.

Ishtar’s chin came up and she gave him a look of regal determination. “Yes.”

“Even with someone wearing your face?” He knew that it had definitely bothered her at first.

She hesitated, offering, “I think it will be… easier. Less….”

“Less scary?” He gave her an odd look. “I thought I was the narcissist in this relationship.”

“The great and terrible Vampire King.” Ishtar had recovered her poise and gave him a saccharine smile. “My widdle Duzzie-kins.”

Duzell rose to his feet, not bothering with any sort of concealment for his nakedness. “We’ll see about that….”

It _was_ strange to weave his fingers into her hair, watch her eyes widen with a look holding more alarm than anticipation. He did not wait for her to adjust, his other hand dropping to the small of her back and pulling her firmly against him.

They were of a height, obviously, which would make this easier in some ways. As she opened her mouth, whether to question or protest or come to her senses, Duzell told her, “This is going to be very, very basic. Sex covers a lot of ground and I refuse to be responsible for any strange habits that might just give your innocent future husband heart failure. I’m naked – a prerequisite for most conventional sex. Get used to it.”

Ishtar gave him the look that said she would do this if it killed her and wrapped her arms around him, somewhat suffocatingly.

“Movement,” he told her, letting his fingers stroke against the nape of her neck, “will also be required. Let go, Ishtar. We’ll try something else.”

She stayed quiet as he undressed her, his familiarity with her wardrobe making it far easier than it might have been otherwise. It wasn’t easy to stand passively and allow him to remove her long gown and underthings and he noted, with faint amusement, more than one abortive gesture to cover her nakedness.

Duzell held an entirely aesthetic appreciation for Ishtar, despite his displeasure at having to wear her face. She was a lovely girl, if still very young, with long legs and a slender figure. It would not have been half so easy to masquerade as Philosia’s princess if she’d possessed a more generous figure.

Ishtar wore a dark flush as he discarded the last of her clothing. His touch had been carefully and deliberately impersonal as he worked and Duzell looked at her thoughtfully. Still stubbornly resolved, she stared back. It was an entrancing picture, really. Pale skin and yards of dark hair… it would be more exciting if it weren’t the exact same skin and hair he was currently wearing himself.

“This would be more enjoyable if you were actually experimenting with the love of your life,” he warned her.

“I’ll have to settle for _a_ love then,” she told him, and there was a militant sparkle in her eye.

He blinked, but recovered quickly. Fingers slid along her jaw and down the line of her throat, along her collarbone and away. She flinched, but looked even more determined. With a sigh, Duzell shook his head. Seduction was easy and fun. This was… something else.

“Let’s try something else.”

The bed was, as usual, unmade. Ishtar had banned servants from her rooms since discovering that her pet was the re-incarnated Vampire King, and she rarely bothered to make up the bed herself.

Duzell turned to wrap an arm around her waist from behind, bending to press a kiss to the edge of her jaw. Drawing her down amidst the rumpled covers, he fought back a laugh. Yes… this would do very well.

Squirming a little at the feel of another entirely naked body, and a male one at that, it took Ishtar a minute to realize exactly what Duzell had done. “I… oh. Duzell….”

Duzell gave her a wicked smile, clearly reflected in the mirror mounted above her dressing table. “Not usually something I’d recommend for beginners, but you want to _learn_ , don’t you?”

Ishtar glared at him, unable to resist the urge, this time, to wrap her arms around herself in an attempt at modesty. “That’s not fair.”

“Neither is brow-beating me into teaching you about sex.” He tugged at her hands. “Lesson one is becoming more at ease with nakedness – yours and other people’s.”

He suspected that it wouldn’t take long. This wasn’t about romance or intimacy – it was about _sex_ , and he suspected that Ishtar would have a far easier time of it if he treated it strictly as another one of her interminable lessons.

Not that he wouldn’t see to it that she’d enjoy it. He watched over her shoulder as she tried to decide what to do, her own weight pressing her back against his bare skin as she slowly bared herself for the mirror.

“It’s not as if you have anything to be ashamed of,” he assured her, leaning forward just far enough to sink his teeth gently into her earlobe. He let go as she squirmed, reaching to catch at one wrist. “Aren’t you the one who proclaimed herself the epitome of grace and charm at Sir Keld’s last deportment lesson?”

That drove all thoughts of modesty out of her head and she turned to make an angry retort. He caught her mouth with his, halfway through the turn, preventing any sharp remarks.

She was beginning to relax as he drew one hand gently down her side, and he smiled – prompting a suspicious noise from Ishtar as she felt his lips move against her mouth.

Perhaps there was something to be said for virgins after all.

… later.


End file.
